The first McCain volunteer I met was Mary, 74, a Republican precinct captain from Blue Springs. When I walked into the campaign headquarters at 3600 Noland Road in Independence, she said she was surprised to see me because I was young, and young people go for Obama.
"I don't always agree with people my age," I told her.
It was early afternoon on a Monday in late September, and we were the only two people at the phone bank. Damaged tables of prefabricated wood stood end to end around the drab office space. On the tables were phones and miniature white laptops.
A week earlier, I'd seen a flier calling for McCain volunteers. When I arrived at the headquarters, the local campaign chair, an affable, bearded man named Brian, showed me how the call system worked. Other than getting my name, phone number and address, he asked few questions.
I soon learned that no one liked working the phones. The computer gave us a list of registered voters. Our job was to call and ask people whom they were voting for and to verify their address, but not try to convince them of anything.
"I always thought of Blue Springs as pretty upscale," Mary said, making conversation. "But some of the people that came in for the primaries, I'd look at them and think, Are you really from here? Are you sure you live here? I guess they did, but they sure didn't look like it."
Were they for John McCain or Barack Obama?
"Obama. There were a lot of African-Americans."
That day, the computer was giving us rural numbers and a few in the suburbs of St. Louis. Out of every 10 calls, maybe three people answered. Most politely answered my questions. Occasionally, I'd get a lecture.
"I don't think I need to tell you who I'm voting for. Who are you voting for?" one man asked.
"Straight Republican ticket for me, sir."
"Hmm, well, I taught government for 30 years. Seems like voting a straight ticket is a good way to get into trouble, don't you think? I myself try to educate and inform myself and others on the issues. As a government teacher, you realize how few people pay attention, and it's very sad."
"Do you like McCain or Obama, then?"
"You need to educate yourself!" He hung up.
Sometimes there would be calls from people who wanted me to talk to McCain about a law that needed changing. They were certain I could reach him.
At the end of my first day, a friend of Mary's joined us. Her name was Carolyn.
"Have you seen this?" she asked. In her hand was a printed e-mail. "It's about Obama being with the Muslims."
The papers listed passages supposedly taken from Obama's book, Dreams From My Father. There was a stack of the printouts in the office.
I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race, read one of the quotes. I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.... This sort of thing went on for three pages.
(Later I checked the excerpts. Some were total fabrications; others were quoted out of context to appear more radical.)
Mary gasped. "You know, I hate to say anyone's a Muslim no matter what party they're in, especially without proof. But, him, I just don't know ... "
Carolyn nodded solemnly.
The next time I went to the office, the windows had been smashed out with a rock half the size of a football.
Showing 1-22 of 22
John Warren,
If you truly, truly believe that Sarah Palin is in any way, shape, or form smarter than Barack Obama, you must be either retarded, or insane.
I can understand differing with Senator Obama's point of view. I can MAYBE even see agreeing with some of Palin's views, but anyone with eyes and ears can comprehend that Sarah Palin is not smarter than Barack Obama.
Just had to clear that up... as if I had to.
John Warren, If you truly, truly believe that Sarah Palin is in any way, shape, or form smarter than Barack Obama, you must be either retarded, or insane. I can understand differing with Senator Obama's point of view. I can MAYBE even see agreeing with some of Palin's views, but anyone with eyes and ears can comprehend that Sarah Palin is not smarter than Barack Obama. Just had to clear that up... as if I had to.
Questioning the American Bolshevik views
1. Is wealth redistribution taking money from stockholders and redistributing it to those who don�t pay taxes?
2. Is it more important to make sure that illegal votes are not disenfranchised or making sure that groups like ACORN do not nullify honest votes.
3. Would premature U.S. withdrawal from Iraq grand jihadists a victory and make all of our accomplishments, money spent and lives lost a big waist?
4. Can this country afford to grant socialist Democrats total control of the government and allow them to sacrifice our safety by cutting the military budget by 25%?
Now comes the big question. How do we stop socialism from ruining our lives?
The answer is simple. Don�t vote American Bolsheviks into power and boycott the socialist propaganda media into bankruptcy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Cybercorrespondent
http://cybercorrespondent.blog...
Questioning the American Bolshevik views 1. Is wealth redistribution taking money from stockholders and redistributing it to those who don’t pay taxes? 2. Is it more important to make sure that illegal votes are not disenfranchised or making sure that groups like ACORN do not nullify honest votes. 3. Would premature U.S. withdrawal from Iraq grand jihadists a victory and make all of our accomplishments, money spent and lives lost a big waist? 4. Can this country afford to grant socialist Democrats total control of the government and allow them to sacrifice our safety by cutting the military budget by 25%? Now comes the big question. How do we stop socialism from ruining our lives? The answer is simple. Don’t vote American Bolsheviks into power and boycott the socialist propaganda media into bankruptcy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvBEKrGkDI Cybercorrespondent http://cybercorrespondent.blogspot.com
Holy crow.. you may want to get that near fatal case of logorrhea look at John Warren.
Better hold on to your hat on Tues.
Holy crow.. you may want to get that near fatal case of logorrhea look at John Warren. Better hold on to your hat on Tues.
I need to correct John Warren's assertions about Sarah Palin's magical kingdom of the North.
1.) She has done nothing to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North America. She pushed through AGIA and gave a lease contract to TransCanada which, if they decided to build a pipeline for natural gas, will ship the resource to Canada for their oil extraction process.
2. She's cut funding to a number of necessary programs in a cash rich state, including for special needs children. She's made no hard decisions--we have money to provide for all but still fail to do so.
3. Cutting the state fuel tax increased the burden on property taxes, some of the highest in the nation--we don't have state income tax or sales tax.
4. Giving energy rebates to citizens in Alaska amounts to a handout for big screen TVs (from China) without solving the energy infrastructure problem of the interior or providing jobs.
5. Sarah Palin is dumber than a box of door knobs. There are better qualified female candidates.
---
Back to the article, I really hope Obama supporters in Kansas City are not using vandalism. I suspect, like Alaska, it's unsupervised/misguided kids without much to do and a lot of rocks.
I need to correct John Warren's assertions about Sarah Palin's magical kingdom of the North. 1.) She has done nothing to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North America. She pushed through AGIA and gave a lease contract to TransCanada which, if they decided to build a pipeline for natural gas, will ship the resource to Canada for their oil extraction process. 2. She's cut funding to a number of necessary programs in a cash rich state, including for special needs children. She's made no hard decisions--we have money to provide for all but still fail to do so. 3. Cutting the state fuel tax increased the burden on property taxes, some of the highest in the nation--we don't have state income tax or sales tax. 4. Giving energy rebates to citizens in Alaska amounts to a handout for big screen TVs (from China) without solving the energy infrastructure problem of the interior or providing jobs. 5. Sarah Palin is dumber than a box of door knobs. There are better qualified female candidates. --- Back to the article, I really hope Obama supporters in Kansas City are not using vandalism. I suspect, like Alaska, it's unsupervised/misguided kids without much to do and a lot of rocks.
Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is the best future leader for this nation, not Senator Barak Obama. Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is also would be better at leading our nation in the future after a McCain Presidency than Senator Barak Obama would be in leading our nation in the future starting in January 2009. There are great reasons our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin would be a better future leader than Senator Barak Obama. The greatest reason for our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin's is ideology. Our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is conservative in that she is pro life, marriage, guns, low taxes, low government spending, small government, unintrosive government, traditional and judeo Christian values, Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, and military spending.She is also pro free and private enterprize. Senator Barak Obama is a liberal who is anti every thing that I have described that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is pro about or for. A second reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of experience. As a governor she has two years of executive administrative governing experience that Senator Barak Obama does not have. A final reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of political accomplishments. When our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin came to office she accomplished 3 major things which are as follows: she showed great leadership in the 3 following areas: government reform, the state budget and the economy, and wise use of natural resources. She reformed government by standing up to the big oil companies by breaking up the monopoly on power and resources. She insisted on competition and basic fairness which ended the control that the oil companies had on the state, and thereby returning control of the state back to the people. She also stood up to the special interest and lobbyist, and produced major ethics reform. She lead well in the state budget by generating a surplus which came about by vetoing a half billion dollars of wasteful spending, ending the abuses of earmark spending by congress, and by getting rid of the private jet, the chef, and the chuffer. Economically under her leadership she brought about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. She also suspended the state fuel tax, and when oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, she sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska . On natural resources she has shown great leadership by beginning a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. When the last section of the pipeline is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart. Senator Barak Obama has done nothing, so please vote John McCain for President and give to our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin the opportunity that she deserves leading the nation into the future after a John McCain presidency. When our soon to be Vice President does lead the nation as President after a John McCain presidency,she will be the greatest President that we have ever had. Finally she is smarter than Senator Barak Obama
Thank You
John Warren
Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is the best future leader for this nation, not Senator Barak Obama. Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is also would be better at leading our nation in the future after a McCain Presidency than Senator Barak Obama would be in leading our nation in the future starting in January 2009. There are great reasons our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin would be a better future leader than Senator Barak Obama. The greatest reason for our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin's is ideology. Our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is conservative in that she is pro life, marriage, guns, low taxes, low government spending, small government, unintrosive government, traditional and judeo Christian values, Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, and military spending.She is also pro free and private enterprize. Senator Barak Obama is a liberal who is anti every thing that I have described that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is pro about or for. A second reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of experience. As a governor she has two years of executive administrative governing experience that Senator Barak Obama does not have. A final reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of political accomplishments. When our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin came to office she accomplished 3 major things which are as follows: she showed great leadership in the 3 following areas: government reform, the state budget and the economy, and wise use of natural resources. She reformed government by standing up to the big oil companies by breaking up the monopoly on power and resources. She insisted on competition and basic fairness which ended the control that the oil companies had on the state, and thereby returning control of the state back to the people. She also stood up to the special interest and lobbyist, and produced major ethics reform. She lead well in the state budget by generating a surplus which came about by vetoing a half billion dollars of wasteful spending, ending the abuses of earmark spending by congress, and by getting rid of the private jet, the chef, and the chuffer. Economically under her leadership she brought about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. She also suspended the state fuel tax, and when oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, she sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska . On natural resources she has shown great leadership by beginning a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. When the last section of the pipeline is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart. Senator Barak Obama has done nothing, so please vote John McCain for President and give to our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin the opportunity that she deserves leading the nation into the future after a John McCain presidency. When our soon to be Vice President does lead the nation as President after a John McCain presidency,she will be the greatest President that we have ever had. Finally she is smarter than Senator Barak Obama Thank You John Warren
Congrats, Mazzi!
Why would anyone bother to actually inform themselves? They have the Pitch and other outlets to do their thinking for them. Its easier to be lazy, naive, or without any idea on how things actually affect their lives than to educate themselves.
This is the best article I have ever read: http://charlestonwatch.com/200...
Congrats, Mazzi! Why would anyone bother to actually inform themselves? They have the Pitch and other outlets to do their thinking for them. Its easier to be lazy, naive, or without any idea on how things actually affect their lives than to educate themselves. This is the best article I have ever read: http://charlestonwatch.com/2008/10/shrimp_n_grits_131.html
Whether you are a Obama, McCain or undecided voter, you MUST SEE THIS!!! It's fascinating! http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/U...
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